Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com

THE ABBREVIATED LAWS
'Tis the Old Law, and the most important of all Laws, that no one
may do anything which will endanger the Craft, or bring us into
contact with the law of the land or any of our persecutors.
*Be it ardane that noneshall use the Art (magick)in any way to
do ll to any. 8 words the Wiccan Rede fulfil: An it harm none, do
what ye will.
* Respect the privacy of other Coveners. You may reveal the
involvement of no person save yourself. In case of trouble, the Coven
will be disbanded. Should this happen, all Coveners are to avoid one
another for the safety and well-being of all. Should this happen,
refer to the Old Laws.
*Never accept moneyfor the useof the Art, formoney ever smears
the taker (and clouds ethical judgement). For all things magickal, pay
the full price asked without haggling. If it is unaffordable, it is
probably inappropriate in some hidden way.
* In case of dispute, the High Priestess is the final arbiter.
Within the Craft, no law save Craft Law may be invoked. Any who will
not agree, or who will not work under this HPs, may and shall remove
themselves from the Coven. Any of the third (L.T. Initiates OK) may
form a new Coven.
* The traditional way to hear complaints is this: Before the High
Priestess and any other Elders shall come first one, then the other,
then both together to be heard. The decision may be rendered immedia-
tely, one lunar month later, or whenever the time of waiting is
filled.
* The year-and-a-day rules pertains to: The minimum time between
Progressions; The final time of all Leavings; The closings of all
cycles.
THE TEMPLE LAWS
* Inorder of precedence, you areaccountable to: The Gods, your
Self, your High Priestess, your Teacher. Initiates are also account-
able to the Craft as a whole.
* "Pagan Standard Time" gives you 15 minutes leeway for an an-
nounced class or ritual. If you'll be any later or won't make it,
CALL!
* Questions are expected, desired, and anticipated.. The only
"dumb question" is the one the student doesn't ask.
* Commoncourtesy in all things. Whenin doubt, it is preferable
to err on the side of caution and silence.
* Ultimately, you are responsible for your own development.
Independent thought and research are strongly encouraged.
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Comments on The Abbreviated Laws
by J. Random Folksinger
The Wiccan Rede, while it has been taught widely, is not a
part of the Laws, although it may be considered derivative of them.
There is nothing in the Laws that says that "in case of trouble, the
Coven will be disbanded". There are, in fact, quite a few possible
solutions to specific instances, not just for "trouble".
There is nothing in the Laws about unaffordability equalling
inappropriateness in the purchase of a magickal tool. What the heck
are "L.T. Initiates"? Long Term? Why is is OK for them to form a Coven
when it is plain that you have to be of the Third Degree?
The traditional way to hear complaints, at least in my set of the
Old Laws, is for the High Priest or High Priestess to convene the
Elders. It says nothing about whether the HP or HPs are included in
this group, but it is assumed that BOTH, not just the HPs, are so
included. There is also nothing in the Old Laws about a "time of
waiting" for a decision.
In the Old Laws, the only thing the year-and-a-day rule pertains
to is the leaving of a High Priestess.
Everything in the "Temple Laws" falls in the good-to-very-good
category of advice; NONE of it is in the Old Laws. And I have known a
good many pagans to take PST to mean anytime during the calendar DAY.
There are a number of teachers in my experience to whom you NEVER ask
a question, at penalty of being kicked out of the class; still, a
teacher who can accept this rule is probably a good teacher.
In general, this sheet appears to be a worksheet handed to new
students and gone over with them for a quick rundown of the Craft in
order to go on to other things; in my opinion, giving them this sheet
and NOT reviewing the entire set of the Old Laws (in whatever form) is
doing the students a disservice; having this sheet around for later
reference, on the other hand, is probably a Good Thing.
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